


Bloodlines: Kitty Committee

by ForceCommanderJoe (orphan_account)



Series: RWBY: Bloodlines [3]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Battle Couple, F/M, Infiltration, Married Characters, Married Couple, Post-Canon, Rescue Missions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2020-03-06
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:15:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21733588
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/ForceCommanderJoe
Summary: Now happily married ever since being reunited after the Salem Crisis, Blake and Sun couldn't be without each other.This included missions, naturally. In what's supposed to be a simple recon mission, there's no way this could get weird. No sir, not one bit.
Relationships: Blake Belladonna/Sun Wukong, Saphron Cotta-Arc/Terra Cotta-Arc
Series: RWBY: Bloodlines [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1453669
Comments: 12
Kudos: 9





	1. Long Walk On The Beach

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, ladies and gentlemen! My name is Joe, and welcome to story #3 in my RWBY: Bloodlines AU.
> 
> In this following link, you'll find Insert Training Story Here, which is canonically the first in this whole AU: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21297569/chapters/50714510
> 
> The first one you see in this series, A Game of Embers is a side story before the plot actually begins. But it's here if you wanna give it a looksie considering how I wanted to write this one first: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20224753/chapters/47930323
> 
> As for the reasons as to why or how, I'll explain some day when this series gets big enough. With that being said, let's get rocking.

**Cats can work out mathematically the exact place to sit that will cause most inconvenience. -Pam Brown**

\-------------------------

Sun Wukong didn’t necessarily like waiting sometimes.

Now, what he was waiting for varied. Whether that was a mission, for a new training session, a mission, hanging with his buds, a mission, or something that was outside of his comfort zone in general, he was the kinda guy who wanted something done right away.

Quite the detraction from his image and reputation as an upbeat dude who wanted his friends to get things done at their own pace. That coaxing, “can-do-will-do” type of friendship he had with some people was a far cry from his desire to get the job done.

But one thing that had him doubly anxious was his lovely wife, Blake Belladonna.

Married for a year after Blake and her friends put an end to Salem’s reign of terror, Sun couldn’t be happier. He had a wonderful home in Menagerie, no longer having to be a nomad in Vacuo or Mistral.

Two loving parents-in-law, who supported him and Blake every step of the way. Well, apart from Ghira being the more conservative parent without much love for some of his quirks, even though they made up long ago with his blessing for marriage.

And yet, Blake had been acting strange lately. Not like she would constantly run away from things back then. Not how she would be self-deprecating thinking she was a coward/weakling/toxic influence/whatever.

No, something was off about her, and Sun, being the loving husband that he is, never wanted to push her into talking. It wouldn’t fly with him back during the Salem Crisis, it doesn’t fly with him now. He’d let her explain when she was ready.

Of course, that would have to wait as the couple had a mission to attend.

===========================

Professor Lionheart III had briefed the Belladonnas that there was an uptick in criminal activity in Southwest Anima. Namely, by a recent new kingpin taking some rough parts of Remnant by storm.  


Giovanni Torchwick. Nephew of none other than the dapper ex-mob boss of Vale, Roman.

Through some channels within the loopholes of Vale’s crime scene, Giovanni had stepped up to the plate by clawing his way to the top, waging a one-man war after gathering resources for years to take over his in his uncle’s absence in death.

While this new boss hadn’t had the back-up or funding of say, Cinder and Salem’s goons, or the support of groups like the White Fang, Gio had definitely put law enforcement on edge.

Dust smuggling, extortion, racketeering, piracy, assassination, gun-running, kidnapping. This new Torchwick cartel had many things covered like what you would see in gangster films like _Bad Guys, Good Girls,_ _Pulp Friction,_ _Reservoir Beowolves,_ among other movies that romanticized the life of crime.

===========================

Sun had a good feeling about taking this Gio kid on, but still had a bad taste in his mouth from Blake’s shifty behavior lately. She seemed ready to kick some ass, but it would have to wait for later so they could get to their objective.

Sun’s impatient expression brightened as he saw Blake walk up to him in her latest combat attire.

Her hourglass figure was wrapped in a purple and black catsuit, padded with light Kevlar at the arms and legs. A plate carrier around her torso, fitting snugly but not hiding her lovely curves.

Blake smiled at her hubby with him standing by a palm tree turning off the radio playlist on his Scroll. Just before his list could get to _Like Morning Follows Night,_ right after the extended mix of _Let’s Just Live_ playing in preparation for their inevitable talk.

“Well?” Sun happily asked. “What’d the doctor say?”

Blake waltzed up to him and rested her head on his shoulder, his tail wrapping around her waist as she answered him during their hug.

“Nothing major.” Blake responded. “Looks like a stomach bug, so we’re looking into getting some anti-acid pills.” She explained further.

Their embrace split as Sun held her chin up, looking into her lovely golden eyes.

“Babe, I told you that it was probably some mishandled fish we got.” He responded, giving a brief scratch behind her ears, a kiss on the forehead as she uttered a surprised purr.

The couple held hands as they took the route down to the abandoned Fort Noah. The suspected last known location of the Torchwick Cartel’s operations after making a hail Mary from South Anima.

Intelligence was spotty, but while this wasn’t Giovanni’s exact location, given how much he loved to chill, smoke, and hold dinner meetings in an undisclosed location, this was an alleged hiding spot for the Cartel.

With Menagerie and other recent Faunus colonies still having an awkward relationship with Mistral, Lionheart III and Mistral’s council insisted that they send in Hunters with experience in their Kingdom.  


Naturally, Blake and Sun were among the first choices. Team CFVY was of course, on the table. But Coco and Velvet were currently on their honeymoon at the time of the call to action. Fox and Yatsu, meanwhile, were still busy with bringing refugees of the Crisis back from Vacuo to Vale.

“So, CFVY is still busy, huh?” Sun asked during their stroll to the fort.

“Yeah.” Blake sadly answered. “Really wish we could’ve been there at the girls’ wedding, had it not been for the food riots in Hanafuda up North.” She said, shaking her head at the uprising in one of Mistral’s market cities, which her teammates were rapidly deployed for at the time.

“Guess we owe them a bar crawl.” Sun jokingly suggested, making his wife laugh.

Blake nodded, looking to the side at that idea. Which concerned Sun.

“You okay?” He worryingly asked her.

“Hmm? I’m fine.” She reassured him.

“Blake, you’ve been acting weird lately. What’s going- -ON! Ow!”

Their pre-mission chat was interrupted by Sun running face first into a palm tree branch, landing back-first into the sand which Blake winced at, helping him up.

“Shit!” Blake exclaimed. “Sorry, honey. I probably should have spotted that for you.” She said with an embarrassed smile as he got up.

Sun merely shook his head, spitting out palm leaves and quickly applying a bandage to his busted-up nose with Blake’s help from her med kit.

“Ahh, not the dumbest pratfall I’ve had.” Sun said as he grunted at the touch of antiseptic blotted on the bridge of his nose before the bandage was planted once the bleeding was stanched.

“Compared to the time you tried to jump from the balcony of the house, onto the Armistice Day tree, only to get hit in the crotch by one of the branches?” Blake reminded. Cringing at the image.

“Uh…I mean, it…Look. It's better than the time Whitley got drunk and tried humping the tree, during the SDC Armistice party in Argus.” Sun argued. "While making choking sounds." He added.

“That's Weiss' brother for you.” Blake said with an eyeroll. “I just hope once her son is born, that Whitley doesn't try anything that could harm the kid. Weiss has been through enough with becoming CEO.”

Weiss had been 8 months pregnant at this point in time.

She and Neptune were expecting a baby boy, and couldn’t have been more excited. In no way would they push their son in the same direction like Jacques' cruel method. Instead, they planned to let him train in his own way once he was old enough to begin his training.

Ren and Nora had already had a boy themselves. Which prompted Weiss to keep her family's lineage alive once things were back to normal, and SDC's reputation had finally been fixed, with Weiss being lauded as a hero of the Crisis.

No sense in letting dust production go kaput, so it was up to Weiss to ensure that Dust merchant's coffers were filled to the brim by forming partnerships, allowing said merchants to join or stay out however they desired, among other options of leeway that Jacques never offered.

Couple that with letting Flynt Coal's father become Vice President and running SDC while Weiss was away – soon to be on maternity leave, maybe a few Huntress missions afterwards – and the situation was starting to look up.

Not to mention mending Faunus relations with the Belladonnas' help, of course.

\-------------------------

Blake and Sun made it to a vantage point marked on their Scrolls' maps. Fort Noah was a palisade fortress built by Mistrali colonists right before the end of the Great War. 

Naturally, being a bad mark on the history with the Kingdom’s relations with Faunus, this area was long abandoned soon as the indigenous Faunus tribes had united to spearhead an assault on these colonizers.

Since then, Fort Noah had become a meeting ground for the tribes to communicate, negotiate, basically. Rarely would the civilized Faunus, living in settlements like Kuo Kuana would visit these hallowed grounds to promote diplomacy between the two groups.

Diplomacy would have to wait, considering how the Cartel just waltzed in, flaunting their garishly bright suits, bowler hats and designer specs that made average convenience store shades look good.

“So, this Giovanni. Who is this tool?” Sun asked. “Besides Torchwick's nephew.” He added.

“That's the thing.” Blake said, adjusting her binoculars to tag how many guards were on the walls.

“He just appeared out of nowhere with a resemblance to Torchwick. Nobody knows if he's a bastard child, an impersonator. Some are even suggesting that he's a clone.” She said with widened eyes at that latter guess.

“Oh Gods, are we dealing with conspiracy theorists again?” Sun moaned, facepalming.

Blake cringed at that thought as well, but shook her head.

“Could be worse.” He replied. “We could be dealing with Prince of Parties posting a hot take on WeTube about how there's a cloning vat used for oil massages and- -“

“Stop! Stop! I don't need to hear that part again!” Blake protested with a shudder. Remembering how she and Sun couldn’t have one of their erotic massages after hearing how far this Prince of Parties guy was willing to take such an idiotic idea.

Sun winced at that mood-killer coming back up, feeling like he needed a cold shower the first time he and Blake finished that video, their massage for later in the evening being interrupted by that bleach-worthy analysis.

“Are we keeping score for every time a new villain shows up, killing the mood for one of our date nights?” Blake thought out loud.

“Well, considering we’ve dealt with White Fang sympathizers who resorted to throwing pies our way before our wedding rehearsal, and we had to put up Hard Light shields all over the altar, this probably isn’t the weirdest thing we’ve dealt with together.” Sun recapped.

“Ugh.” Blake groaned. “Don’t get me started on the time Ren and Nora’s baby shower nearly caught fire from Mr. Peng’s fireworks shop.”  


“Nearly?!” Sun exclaimed. “Babe, the Fire Department nearly drove one of their tankers into a water cooler truck! And that was before the candles were lit on their frigging cake!”

===========================

Blake and Sun had reached an opening in the walls, eyeing any potential routes into where the best areas and items of interests would be for their recon.

Sun tossed one of their newest gadgets: A pulse blade. Neat little kunai with a tagging system housed in the head, able to tag, or ‘ping’ multiple subjects on a Scroll’s radar.

The Faunus held their Scrolls up, seeing the blade’s tagging pulse light up on their displays. About 6 guards on each of the fort’s three main walls, 20 or so on the interior.

No doubt about it, these guys looked ready for war. And if taking Fort Noah was any indication, they would have brought a lot of fighting into Kuo Kuana and beyond. Not on these two’s watch.

Blake drew Gambol Shroud, the blade now much thinner and shorter than previous models and looked at the inside of the fortress. She peaked to see how many guards were passing by.

Sun, meanwhile, quietly drew both halves of Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang, wrapping the string of one of his gunchucks around his wrists, the ‘chuck’ part collapsing onto his forearms to reflect its new covert upgrade for a stealth mission.

“Might be a sniper up on that container to the right.” Sun whispered. “I’ll roll over there and take him out, then any sentries.”

Blake nodded.

“Okay.” She whispered back. “I’ll get inside, clear out any guards in the main building we should be searching. Meet up with me there and we’ll grab the intel, get out of here, then call for backup from Vale.”

“Gods, you’re cute when you talk stealth tactics.” Sun dreamily joked.

Blake snickered, failing to hide her blush.

“Focus, Sun.” She said, failing at not smiling at her husband’s wisecrack. 

Upon finishing their banter and getting serious, the mission was a go.


	2. It's a Last-Minute Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's stealthy couple time! Blake and Sun make their way through, with some surprising news. Too bad her timing ain't what you'd think.

Sun greeted the shipping container’s sniper with a whip to the back as he snapped the dude’s neck with one of Ruyi Bang/Jingu Bang’s wires. 

He dropped the guard’s lifeless body into a rusty dumpster before giving Blake the signal to move in, do some room clearing.

Blake flashed a thumbs up before getting the drop on a nearby guard exiting the door. She muffled his screams, shushing the guy as she drove Gambol’s blade into his chest. The guard went limp shortly afterwards as Blake set him behind a crate, lowering his hat and hiding his stab wound.

Blake tapped the guy’s head before diving into the room, aiming her gun as she scanned for targets with her night vision. No contacts. 

She drew her Scroll to take photos of evidence, all of which included positions to target the Settlements in the Western Island. All of which included Kuo Kuana. She snapped some photos onto her device, including weapon shipments, dead drop locations, Dust merchants and quarries to raid.

“Definitely not what Roman had in mind back then.” Blake whispered.

As she hid pocketed her scroll on her plate carrier, Blake’s ears twitched and heard voices heading for the room: More bad guys.

She drew Gambol again and dived back behind a shipping crate. SDC’s snowflake logo on the side, no doubt stolen for the sake of their Dust smuggling operations.

“I think Louie was just heading out for a walk, try and see if we had any spooks try to get in.” One of the mobsters spoke.

“Of course, he’d try to use some excuse to practice for a frigging marathon.” The other goon groused.

“You kiddin’?” Goon #1 shot back. “Another cannoli and he’d be tumbling around Pauly, and that ain’t even before he takes a shot of Vespiary Dust straight from a Rapier Wasp hive’s spigot.” The first one joked.

“Dude, if Louie got the hive first, he would try to parkour his way up these shipping containers. Bloated or not.” Goon #2 stated.

As the goons bantered, Blake quietly shifted through her grenade belt, drawing an EMP, kitted to not only disable electronics and say, jam communications, but have enough voltage to stun a fleshy target long enough to drop them.

Blake ‘cooked’ the grenade, or readied it’s fuse, waiting long enough for it to reach detonation, rolling it into view of the goons. Before the mooks reacted, they had been zapped with their commlinks buzzing in their ears.

With the walls this thick, and their communications jammed, Blake drew Gambol Shroud, firing 3-round bursts into both mooks, dropping them like flies. She quickly looked around, shifting her cat ears to see if anyone heard.

She quietly dragged them behind the crates. No alerts. Looks like the takedown was successful as Blake reloaded her pistol.

Her Scroll vibrated as she got a notification from Sun, asking about her location.

 **Sun: all clear?**

**Blake: So far, so good. Any trouble up top?**

**Sun: Snipers haven’t spotted me yet, just getting scrubs here so no suspicion**

**Blake: I took out 3 guys. Looks like the Cartel is gearing up for war.**

Blake texted the photos to Sun, who reacted with appropriately shocked and angry emotes.

**Sun: Gio sounds like a dick.**

**Blake: Yeah but at least he’s upfront about it.**

**Sun: he comes for Kuo K, I’m gonna kick his ass**

**Blake: Mom and Dad will want a piece of him, too. So we’ll have to get in line.**

===========================

As they reminded each other to meet up on a rendezvous point marked on their radars, Sun continued his parkour sweep, either distracting or knocking Cartel goons out cold as he narrowly dodged the view of any snipers or gunners on the top of Noah’s walls.

Sun narrowly dived from one point to another, as he showed off a new trick he learned with his Via Sun Semblance: The ability to send out one clone as a distraction, before dissipating and making a goon suspicious.

Taught by Blake thanks to some alterations she learned before Team RWBY’s fight with Salem, her Semblance along with her friends had been charged up by Ozpin with the last of his Magic before ascending from Oscar’s mind.

Among those boosts, included Blake’s Shadow Clones now being given more freedom of movement upon being casted. Vertically, horizontally, as a beneficial side effect of Ozpin’s Semblance amplification.

Rather than send out a group of Clones, Sun mastered focusing on one object, for each of his solo summons, so he could be quicker and cleaner. Sure, stealth was more Blake’s thing, but it wouldn’t stop Sun from taking his own swing at it.

The simian dived over to a nearby doorway, which was more like a trip as he landed face first into the sand as he looked up, eyes widening at the sight of two guards catching him in the act.

“Hey!” One of the guards shouted.

But Sun wasn’t having any of that as he ripped Jingu Bang off from his right bracelet as he tossed it at the guard’s head, knocking him out cold.

He then tackled the next guard, kneeing him in the groin as he took Jingu and whacked him upside the head before punching him out cold along with his buddy.

“You’re just not very quick.” Sun whispered to his latest targets as he hid the bodies and moved deeper into the fort.

\-------------------------

After some narrow dodges and such, Blake and Sun made their way to an office set up within the makeshift camp, taking notice of several safes stacked up in a pyramid, all of them facing forward.

Blake drew her Scroll, scanning for whatever was inside of the safes, but got no result.

“Nothing there?” Sun asked.

Blake shook her head.

“Either that, or the doors are too thick to get a reading.” She answered with an annoyed look.  


Sun looked over his wife, drawing his Scroll next, but buzzing with **”NO DETECTION”** in all caps. The screen turning red with a frowny face next to the notification.  


The couple exchanged a suspicious look as they pondered what to do next.

“If the Cartel would be hiding their valuables in here,” Blake began, “why stack it in such an obvious place?” She thought out loud.

“Better question.” Sun interjected. “What are they using here? There isn’t any tech on these safes to encrypt the lock.” He pondered.

“Yeah.” Blake responded. “You’d think that Gio would be tighter about locking things away.”

“Roman definitely wasn’t.” Sun then spoke. “So why would Gio allow this to be seen plain as day?” He asked as he folded his arms, watching Blake hold a finger up to her chin.

As they brainstormed about what exactly they were planning by this new enemy leaving their plunder out in the open, Sun noticed something out the window, something that he hoped wouldn’t show up since he assumed it was taken care of.

The glint of a sniper scope.

Sun ran towards Blake, embracing her with a protective tackle.

“Blake! Get down!” Sun barked, as the sniper’s bullet missed them, hitting a button in the room instead.

Blake looked up in shock, noticing a red siren sound as they got up to see that the safes, the same ones they got no results that they could’ve hit their heads on…

“The safes were fake?!” Blake exclaimed, noticing that they dove into several holograms.

“Oh, crap…Blake, we gotta go. Now!” Sun suggested.

“Right behind you!” She answered, but Sun ended up unfolding Ruyi Bang, bumping the staff against a pully as he nearly tripped, until they were greeted by a cage rising up from the floor around them.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me…” Blake uttered.

“Okay, in my defense,” Sun argued. “Ruyi here was unfolded by accident. I think the button hit one of the walls in here.” He said, then being greeted by the sound of the metal door flying open.

===========================

The next thing they saw, were two mobsters in grey suits and fedora hats wielding shotguns.

Followed by a guy in a blue suit coming out, smoking a cigar and wearing no hat, but his hazel eyes would’ve been more piercing through his newest prisoners had he not a shit-eating grin on his face.

“Well, well, well!” The mobster began, taking a drag from his cigar. “Lookie what we have here, boys.” He condescendingly spoke.

“Giovanni Torchwick?” Blake inquired, squinting daggers at her and Sun’s captor.

The guy merely shook his head with a shrug.

“Sorry, toots.” He commented. “The boss doesn’t like to show himself. I’m Luca Blu, master of smuggling, at your service.” He introduced himself, mockingly holding out his hand to the couple.

They merely glared at the ringleader, knowing full well what kind of crook he was.

 _Poacher._ Sun and Blake simultaneously thought. Knowing that with them being Faunus, they were in for a long captivity.

“And you must be Blake Belladonna.” He said as he lowered his hand. “Where are my manners? Didn’t realize I was talkin’ to a hero of Beacon, and the Chieftain’s daughter.” He said in mock hurt.

“Hey, asshole. Why don’t you tell us what you’re doing on Menagerie?” Sun demanded.

Luca’s eyes widened.

“Ohhhh, _and_ Sun Wukong? One of the Shade Academy students who held the line during the Grimm Eclipse?” He spoke, in reference to what many didn’t know as Salem’s final plan to consume Remnant, with a massive Grimm attack on all four Academies, before her doom.

“Look, punk.” Sun began. Her anger being a chilling sight. “You can taze me with a prod, and you can demean me all you want. But you leave my wife alone!” He barked.

Luca’s jaw dropped.

“Oh, and you two are married!” He said in mock shock. “Whodathunkit, boys? Not only did we get 2 Hunters, we’ve got a Hunter couple! Ain’t that romantic?” He boasted, his guards uncertain on how to respond.

“Uh…I guess so, boss.” One of the guards replied.

Blake merely glared at Luca, spitting in his face once he grabbed her chin.

“Whatever you’re planning here on Menagerie, you won’t get away with this.” She snarled.

Luca casually wiped the saliva off of his face with a handkerchief, as he glared at the couple again.

“Ah, come on, Blakey. Don’t be like that.” He insisted, his tone deeper and less affable. “How about you and your hubby just hand over your weapons, wait right here, and we’ll go easy on ya, yeah?”

Sun and Blake exchanged a curious, yet angry look at the fact that these gangster wannabes were probably looking to sell them off but nodded and forked over Gambol Shroud and Ruyi Bang/Jingu Bang over, as two more guards came in and probably locked them up someplace.

“See? The couple that’s captured together, agrees together.” Luca said, resuming back to his mile-long smile.

“What are you doing here on the island?” Blake then asked.

“Well…No doubt you’ve heard of our boss, Giovanni. Good kid. Little aggressive, but he’s got a great mind, with a great vision.” Luca boasted, taking a sip of coffee provided by one of his mooks. 

“So, Johnny Law ended up kicking us out of Anima, just outside of Mistral. Then we tried that in Vale, but that didn’t end up too well. Don’t get me started on Atlas or Mantle, either.” Said finished boasting.

“So you snuck into Menagerie.” Blake deduced.

“Right you are, sweetheart.” Luca said with a wink as he toasted his coffee to them. “All the way out here, far away from society? Perfect joint to run our operations, plan where to attack and do our business.” He continued.

“You know there are indigenous tribes here that want a piece of you, right?” Sun groused.

“Oh, yeah-yeah-yeah.” Luca answered. “See, the tribes knew we were coming, and the Chieftain, your dad?” He hypothetically asked, smirking at Blake. “He ended up providing shelter to the tribes in Kuala- -Koala…Kuak…”

“Kuo Kuana, boss?” Another guard suggested.

“Right. That place.” Luca said with a nod. “Come on by the bar, later. I’ll buy you a cider. Now where was I…” He trailed off.

“So, ever since that your pops gave shelter to the tribes, we kinda cleared it up with our firepower advantage, compared to their numbers advantage.” He explained.

“This isn’t your full army, then?” Blake interrogated.

“Nope.” Luca answered. “But it’s nice of ya to acknowledge that we actually have an army at our disposal.” He continued, grinning.

Blake glared deeper into Luca’s eyes, implying that she WOULD slit his throat if he got within an inch of Kuo Kuana, especially after recent developments.

“If you think that Sun and I are gonna give up so easily, and let you ship us off to traffickers,” Blake tensely spoke, “you are sadly mistaken.” She threatened.

Luca frowned, dropping then smashing his cigar as he sighed in disappointment.

“Y’know, I tried being polite and welcoming, but you had to go and snap at me.” The mob lieutenant said with a frown.

Blake and Sun said nothing, just continued to glare him down in a silent threat that this was their home. He wasn’t welcome here. And they WILL force him out.

Luca finished his coffee, tossing it into the trash as he snapped his fingers, addressing his guards.

“Boys, I’m gonna go make a call to our…Partners.” He ordered. “Go outside and keep the door under watch, and make sure these lovebirds don’t escape.”

“You got it, boss.” They both said.

As Luca marched his way out, he turned back to smile at the couple.

“Gotta make some calls, alright? I’ll leave you two alone.” He said with a wink. “Ciao Bella.” He teased as the door shut and Sun sat down against the cell’s bars, Blake with her back against them adjacent from her husband.

Sun groaned. First, Blake had been acting shifty, and now he was caged alongside her, by some mafia wannabe and about to be shipped off. There’s no way this mission could get any worse. Any more awkward.

…

Then Blake sighed with an eyeroll.

“I’m pregnant.”

Sun looked up, his jaw dropping in joy, amazement, and shock all at once.

“Wow.” Sun calmly reacted. “We’re gonna have a kitten…Blake, that’s great news!” He said, nervously grinning as Blake then hugged him tightly.

“If we’re still alive tomorrow, I want to set a good example for our kid and teach them to enjoy life before they ever end up going to one of the Academies.” She insisted, holding Sun tightly.

Sun merely smiled, with no nervousness, no annoyance at Blake’s secrecy as he hugged her back. Then answered her with a nod.

“You got it, babe.” He softly promised, kissing his wife’s forehead.

The hug lasted for a good 2 minutes as while Blake had been hidden during their embrace, she covertly drew her scroll and texted a call for help to an old friend. Somebody she knew would get her outta there in time.

“Hang tight, Sun.” She whispered. “Backup is on its way.”


	3. Bail Out!

Blake casually squatted on the ground as she watched Sun pace back and forth. 

She might as well have taken the chance to sit down and wait now, before her belly would get the last laugh on her posture for 9 months.

“Blake, have I been good to you lately?” Sun asked with a sigh.

Her ears shot up at her husband’s intense question.

“Excuse me?” She asked. An eyebrow cocked.

Sun caught that look in her eyes. When she wasn’t going to be interrogative, but how she always reacted around an uncomfortable subject: Direct, but not forceful.

Blake was long past taking her frustrations out on Sun, which would have been pretty inappropriate here and now.

“Sweetheart, you’re giving me that look again.” Sun said as he shifted back to the bars of their cage.

“You’ve been cautious about asking me what was wrong until now.” She stated.

Sun deflated a little at her observation.

“No, it…” He said. Cutting off at whatever response just fell flat.

“Sun, I’m not mad at you for keeping your distance.” Blake reassured. “I should have told you sooner.” She dejectedly said.

Sun embraced her again, who rested her head on his washboard chest as she let him speak for a bit.

“I’m not upset, Blake.” He softly spoke. “Sure, it would have been better to tell me before this mission, but I figured you’d wanna tell me about it when you were ready.” He added.

Blake sighed, feeling less tense at his firm, yet gentle hands running through her hair.

“I know.” Blake retorted. “It’s just that after running from my problems for so long, I was hoping to be more upfront with you.” She complained.

Sun couldn’t really argue with that. Being inseparable once they reunited after the fall of Salem. Then reconciling with love, marriage, followed by a baby in…Well, in a baby carriage in 9 months.  
But that wasn’t going to stop them.

“Blake, I can tell you wanted kids for a while now.” He softly spoke. “Tell you the truth, I was still figuring it out. But we’re family now. I love Kali & Ghira. I love you. And I’ll love any babies we’ll bring into the world.” He declared, holding her chin up. 

“I’m not sure about doing this alone, but we might pick up something from your parents. Maybe with Ren and Nora. Soon with the Schnees. We’ve got this.” He finally finished as Blake sniffled at his loving reassurance.

Blake smiled, on the verge of tears as she rubbed noses with Sun.

“’Till death do us part, right?” She chokingly said.

“And damn it, if that isn’t why I love you.” He answered. Their embrace against the cell’s bars reflecting the noise from Blake’s relieved sigh.

===========================

“Who are you hoping for?” Blake asked during their hug, having composed herself.

“I always wanted a girl.” Sun said. “Now Kali can have somebody to spoil while Ghira learns from her, maybe pull that spear out of his ass.” He joked.

Blake laughed.

“Maybe a boy.” She answered. “Honestly, I’m so sick of having so many female suitors in my harem, that having another boy to love will be important.”

The couple laughed again, much heartier than earlier in the day. As they stared into each other’s eyes once again, leaning in for a kiss.

_Clang_

At least, until being rudely interrupted by one of Luca’s enforcers marching into the room, two armed guards in tow.

“Yo, lovebirds.” The henchman spoke. “Our lookouts got word of a Huntress in the area around ‘ere. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about ‘er, would ya?” He asked, glaring right through the couple and flaring his nostrils angrily.

Sun glared back, shielding Blake as she stepped forward with her own glare towards the mobsters.

“It’s just us.” Blake coldly answered.

The mob sergeant nodded sarcastically, slamming his fists against the bars to get them to talk.

“Keep talkin’ lady. Boys, search ‘em!” He barked.

The Belladonnas had been pulled back against the cell doors, but Blake nodded to Sun, gesturing them to play along and let the goons proceed with their strip search.

Blake sneered. Had she not been a day or two pregnant, she wouldn’t have wanted to gut these gangsters with her bare hands even further. 

The thought of someone hurting her kitten made her bare her teeth, just as one would essentially draw their weapon in the animal kingdom.

In Faunus culture? About the same. Basically Faunus body language for: _Go on. I would LOVE an excuse to claw your eyes out, here in MY habitat._

Sun snarled at the sight of his wife being frisked. Thinking the same way knowing how he had two to look after, two mouths to feed in 3 quarters of a year.

He felt himself being yanked back further as the mobsters checked his hands.

“Hey, man! Watch the wedding ring.” He demanded. Knowing the Lien it cost for his amethyst ring to symbolize his union with Blake.

“We’re not lookin’ for your jewelry here, ya fuckin’ jamoke.” The mobster replied.

“Jamoke?” Sun replied less angrily. “The hell is that?”

Blake cleared her throat as she explained.

“It means dick, honey.” 

“I’m a dick.” Sun flatly replied to the goon’s remark. “They’re fondling us here, searching us for contraband, or some secret commlink incriminating us with this mystery Huntress, and I’m a dick.” He finished rambling.

“Maybe they haven’t gotten laid in so long, they have to get off on copping a feel out of us?” Blake suggested with a savage smirk.

Sun guffawed at her remark.

“Oh, that’s cold!” He said, failing to notice the enforcer snickering at his mooks being humiliated.

“You believe this shit, sergente?” One of them asked the mob officer.

The bigger man rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Ah, who cares?” He answered. “Just keep searching ‘em while Luca is on the horn.”

The frisking continued, as Blake was shoved back into Sun’s arms, with her violator nabbing her Scroll.

“Uh-oh, lookie what we got here, fellas.” He said with a shit-eating grin, followed by waving the Scroll left and right.

The fat sergeant sneered before taking a deep breath, then laughing at the absurdity of how Blake had bamboozled them.

The couple glared at them further as the enforcer held up her Scroll, before throwing it to the ground.

“No, no, no, no- -!” Blake groaned as her device was crushed along with the sergeant’s cigarette underneath his boot.

“You Huntsmen think you’re real clever with all this stealth gear, dontcha?” He interrogated.

“…My Scroll wasn’t insured.” Blake admitted in defeat, kneeling to the ground as a storm cloud formed over her head and her ears deflated.

“You shoulda thought about insurance before crossing us.” The sergeant spoke.

Sun awkwardly crouched down, patting Blake’s shoulder as she groveled over her uninsured Scroll, scratching behind her ears as he stared back at their captors.

“You shouldn’t have locked us up, and you shouldn’t have crushed my wife’s Scroll.” Sun angrily declared. “Or fondled my butt.”

“Yeah. Only I can fondle his butt.” Blake pitifully said, not looking up. “And only he can fondle mine!” She added.

Sun raised an eyebrow at that.

“Wha…Blake, that’s not imp- -“

“They nearly grabbed the goods, Sun.”

“Oh, you…Imma kill you!” Sun roared, leaping towards the front bars and growling at the bad guys, to which they drew two stun batons.  


But the enforcer held back his guys as they flinched, nearly tazing him instead.

“Raffreddalo, raffreddalo!” He ordered. “We need these two alive. And youse guys are only gonna make them less valuable to the poachers if you rough ‘em up!”

“ _Now_ he uses the P-word unlike others.” Sun groaned.

“Shaddup, Wukong.” He replied. “You two are lucky we’re keepin’ you alive for now. My guys have been nothing but courteous ever since we put you in here, so we expect some politeness in return. Capiche?”

Another glare on the couple’s part, as they had no remarks this time around.

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He said with another smirk. “Boys. Keep ‘em under watch. I’m gonna go meet with the boss. See where we’re at with the hand-off.”

\-------------------------

Four hours passed as Blake annoyingly held her stomach. No baby bump yet, but she really wished her soon-to-be kitten didn’t have to be announced this way. 

In the middle of a mission. 

While they were in captivity.

Sun, meanwhile, was bored. 

He laid his head in Blake’s lap, hoping that her company would help pass the time. It was better than staring at the windows, let alone these sharp-dressed sleazeballs keeping watch on them.

Blake had played with Sun’s hair, seeing as how she couldn’t play _Taijitu_ or other such mobile games on her recently crushed Scroll. 

Not that she didn’t enjoy her husband’s roguish good looks, especially given how beautiful they both saw each other at sunrise and sunset respectively.

But with their romantic bliss effectively being cocked up by being held hostage, and about to be sold off to poachers? Yeah…This really wasn’t the time nor the place to be alone.

Blake glared at the wall, in true cat body language showing that she was annoyed. Though, to be fair, so was Sun for about the same reasons as hers.

Well, this was one for the highlight reel.

“You ever been captured like this with one of your suitors in the Fang?” Sun asked, cupping his wife’s cheek.

Blake’s pissy glare shifted, as she seriously thought for a moment.

“No, this is definitely new.” She answered. “Seeing as how, you know. We’re married.” She dryly added.

“Yeah, but at least I waited until _after_ a mission to propose.” Sun mused.

As Blake was about to recount their proposal being right after a mission to hunt down Emerald & Mercury after they escaped Salem’s castle during her defeat, one of the guards walked up. An assault rifle in hand as he gazed down at the couple.

Blake hugged Sun from behind as he got up, giving the guard a slow hiss for good measure.

“Easy, lady. Just got a question for both of ya.”

“What?” She snapped back.

Another stare down as the couple’s guards had stood there, waiting for a funny movement.

One false move, and they could be gunned down in each other’s arms. Surely, it wasn’t going to end like this. Not today. Not with their rescue coming.

The goon opened his mouth and asked…

…

…

“Where do you get the insurance on those Scrolls of yours?”

===========================

Thirty minutes passed, as Sun kept shifting the topic from Scroll insurance to how they weren’t gonna be sold into slavery.

“Okay, I’m not the most thoughtful of conversational cues,” Sun argued later, “but I know you’re trying to distract me and her about the dangers your boss is about to put us through!”

Blake rested her chin in her palm. Unamused at her spouse being roped into argument.

“’Course I’m trying to distract ya, you turd-thrower!” The guard bickered.

Blake checked her watch, seeing that they hadn’t even passed the five-hour mark, still waiting on the backup.

The door flew open again as the Capo sergeant returned, angrier than ever.

He shoved his henchman to the side, causing him to crash into the window. Nearly shattering the glass as he slammed his fists down on the cell again.

“Okay, smarty-pants.” The fat man growled. “My guys are clearly being of no help here, so how about I drag you and the Missus over there kicking and screaming onto the boat?!” He threatened.

The captives flinched at that threat. Knowing big-time that they were screwed. And that even with their evasive Semblances, there couldn’t be an easy way out of this one due to guards being everywhere.

Blake and Sun would have to plan an escape. They’d have to go overboard, maybe stage a riot at whatever makeshift prison camp they’d be hauled off to.

Either way, it wouldn’t be worth it to let their unborn child suffer this way.

They had to escape.

They had to find a way home and gear up for the next time they encounter the Cartel.

They had to survive.

Together.

It was ‘till death do they part upon their vows of marriage, and they wouldn’t take this lying down. Defiant to the end, just to keep one another safe.

It was now or never. May the Brothers have mercy upon their new enemies.

These two wouldn’t.

_BANG!_

But before they could be uncaged, maybe bound and gagged, a gunshot rang throughout the fort. Having rattled the windows and shot through the cracked glass, diving into the Capo’s cranium, popping like a water balloon and spraying his brains across the door and walls.

“What the hell?!” Sun exclaimed as Blake shielded him from the alerted gun-hands cocking their rifles.

“That’s our rescue…” Blake muttered. “Sun, get down!” She then ordered, hunkering down with Sun covering her from whatever came next.

The coupled ducked down as several gunshots sounded throughout the main building.

Blake swore she could’ve heard gusts of wind down the stairs. But to her shock, the alarm switch in the room where she and Sun were trapped had been shot out by the bullet.

Looked to be an armor-piercing round, jamming the sirens that popped the Capo’s skull like a sausage, landing onto the switch and effectively mangling it.

“Uh, are bullets supposed to work that way on electronics?” Sun asked, still acting as a Human- -Faunus, shield for Blake.

Blake flinched as she heard a grenade go off against their sealed door before answering.

“Lucky shot.” She answered quietly, so as not to be heard by the Cartel goons.

Lucky shot, indeed.

===========================

The gunfire shortly settled, as another Capo barged through the door on his back, only to be greeted by a plasma shot through his neck.

The Capo fell to the ground, his jugular now a gaping red hole as his killer stepped through the room.

Blake looked up and nodded while Sun stayed low.

“Honey.” Blake nudged. “Our rescue is here.”

The figure looked serious for a moment, before removing her hood and revealing her face.

“Hey, guys.”

Who else but Ruby Rose?

“Hey, Ruby.” Blake said, awkwardly holding her hand up and giving a nervous smile at her battle sister and former boss.

Sun stood back up as he hadn’t seen Ruby in so long. 

He last saw her at his and Blake’s wedding day, but due to influx of their respective mission quotas to fill out, mostly spoke via calls.

“Gods, are we glad to see you.” Sun exhaled. “Did you do something with your hair?” He then asked.

Ruby nodded as she broke out a lockpicking tool.

“Yep.” She responded. “Felt nostalgic from my childhood. Thought I’d grow it out, make it look like my mom’s hair.” Ruby then said with a flick of her slightly longer bangs.

Ruby stuck the tool inside the lock on the bars and began picking away.

While she tumbled with the lock, Blake looked outside, searching for Ruby’s handiwork on the platforms just on top of the walls.

Blake noticed some of the snipers hanging by the legs from bolas ropes on the stakes which had formed the guard posts. She widened her eyes at this sight, then looked back to Ruby.

“Where did you get bolases?” She asked. Still processing how hardcore her sweep of the fort was.

“No…Nope, that’s not it…Dang it…” Ruby muttered while she still battled the lock.

Blake tapped the cell’s bars to get her attention.

“Wha?” Ruby asked, recognizing Blake’s question. “Oh. I had ‘em saved up for a while when I was cross-training with Ace Ops.” She answered before getting back to picking.

Sun whistled at Ruby’s carnage on the outside, resting his back against one of the walls as he silently admired how quick she was.

The door had been picked open, but as soon as the couple was released, an alarm was tripped.

“Oh crap.” Ruby moaned. “I didn’t recon for other alarms…” She said with a facepalm.

Ruby quickly ran into a storage room that held Gambol Shroud adjacent to Ruyi Bang/Jingu Bang, tossing them to Blake and Sun, ready to provide cover fire for their little jailbreak.

Suddenly, this mission just became a whole lot more complicated.


	4. Here Comes The Boom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Cartel catches on about a third party crashing their work, and the heroes get a bit pragmatic.

A light drizzle pattered the shoreline just as Luca, his entourage, and a group of thugs were about to board their ticket out with their new packages in tow.

Despite getting sassed by their prisoners earlier, Luca was in a good mood. Knowing that he and his outfit were on their ways to making a lot of Lien in no time at all. Truly, his business was a cinch once you memorized everything.

And business was good.

“Sure, boss.” The weaselly little lieutenant spoke. “No, yeah. Got some heroes of Beacon in lockup. Got any idea what to do with ‘em yet? Yeah. Yeah. No. No? Hell, I can’t judge you, Gio. You’re a great guy. Okay. Gotta go. Yes sir. Buh-bye.” He finally finished before hanging up.

Luca was about to get on the boat, with his own naval escort when he heard cracking in the distance. He turned around and squinted at Fort Noah.

Another shit-eating smile, which seemed to run in the Torchwick’s family’s line of work, crept onto his face.

Menagerie was a beautiful sight. And he’d make sure to tell Giovanni how much of the northeast island would be a good trade hub for other syndicates on the mainland.

Yeah. This part of the island could be the beginning of a beautiful business opportunity.

Why rely on stealing from the Atlas military-industrial complex, when you could do it yourself, in the underground? With a kickass view of the ocean to boot. Couple that with a few pina coladas and a good crab buffet, and you’ve got a brave new world for the organized crime industry in Remnant.

Luca nodded.

Even if this Belladonna chick escapes with her spouse, it wouldn’t matter because the Cartel would be swimming in Lien. 

Grimm would be no issue, given how they could smuggle weaponry and arm themselves and keep the Menagerie guard at bay.

And hell, they’d be willing to work with the guard through reaching a ‘line-in-the-sand’ kind of deal. So they could both fend off Grimm while reaching a ceasefire agreement.

Which led to an opening in the southwest island’s defenses that could be used to cordon off the northeast, effectively holding the indigenous tribes hostage on civilized land while the Cartel set up shop.

Not that they would engage in it up front, but law enforcement, military, or Huntsmen wouldn’t see it coming if they launched sneak attacks from their new territory.

It was everything that Giovanni’s uncle might not have needed but wanted at some point. Knowing how the intoxication of power ran in the family, Luca and his goons couldn’t really blame Gio for his aspirations. Given how quickly Roman was cut out of the game.

At this rate, Remnant’s criminal underworld was theirs for the taking.

They would live like kings.

“Vini, Vidi, Vici.” Luca muttered as he stepped foot onto the boat.

===========================

_Ratatatatatatat!_

_Ska-doosh!_

_Kaboom!_

_Pew-pew! Pew-pew-pew-pew-pew!_

_Ook-ook, Sun’s out with his guns out!_

But before he could step foot onto the deck, he and his henchmen were rudely interrupted by the sounds of gunfire. And explosions on top of that.

All coming from inside the fort.

Luca’s cigar fell out of his mouth as it dawned on him that this couple weren’t the only infiltrators he had to deal with today.

The boat’s helmsman tried to catch his attention, noticing just how dumbstruck he was at their operation crashing down on them.

“Boss!” The helmsman spoke. “We got word from inside. There’s another Huntress, and she’s tearing shit up!”

Luca blinked.

No…How did another one of them get in? How could the task force not have been involved?

“Boss, what do we do?” The helmsman asked, still panicking.

And then, Luca drew a sawed-off shotgun from his pocket, having seen two of his mooks run up to the boat to warn them of the imminent threat.

“Luca!” One of them warned. “You hear about another Huntress in the Fort?” He asked, knowing that he'd get an ass-whooping if he acted like shit truly wasn't going down.

The lieutenant gritted his teeth, nodding.

“Yeah, I heard it.” He answered. “Did the lovebirds break out?” He then asked.

“Yeah.” The second goon spoke. “But it's worse. The third one, she…” He trailed off.

As goon #2 trailed off, Luca loaded his shotgun, making his men flinch as he tightened the grip.

“Go on…” Luca threatened.

“Well, ya see, Luca…She's got a scythe, red cape, some Atlas blaster- -“

Luca held a hand up, interrupting his minions.

“Hang on, hang on, hang on…Red cape?” The enforcer asked, squinting.

“Yeah, she had a red cape. Why- -“

“Shaddup. Lemme think.” Luca said.

Red cape...

Scythe…

Red…

Red…

Cape…

Oh, of all the gods damned…

Luca Blu, trafficker extraordinaire's face curled into a shit-eating grin as he recognized those descriptions.

All belonging to the same Huntress who his boss' uncle faced a long time ago.

“Well, boys.” Luca declared. “Looks like St. Nicky arrived early this year. Because we've got a new target: That tramp in the red hood!” He boasted.

“We're goin' in after her?” One of the panicked goons spoke.

Luca nodded.

“Yep! Everyone, let's back in there and nab this bitch.” He ordered before gesturing to the boat crew. “You mugs get the boat and goods outta here. I'll deal with Little Red.”

They nodded.

“Okay, boss.” The navigator said. “So we're leavin' without you?” He then inquired.

“Well, somebody's gotta bring Little Red in for Gio.” Luca stated. “Just ready ‘er up and get goin' while I take care of our guests.” He commanded.

Luca had taken his two inept guards and walked them to another spot on the beach…

_BANG! BANG!_

And punished them for their idiocy via two shotgun shells in the chests.

He angrily reloaded his sawed-off, taking both of their assault rifles onto his back to meet his new prey in combat.

“If you want somethin' done RIGHT…!” Luca grumbled. “You gotta do it yourself.”

\-------------------------

Blake swung Gambol Shroud in a cleaving motion, via Gambol's ribbon, slicing up two gangster's throats and barely missing another.

The lucky bastard wasn't so lucky after all as he was perforated by a shot from Crescent Rose.

Blake leapt back from the blood-splattered sand as Ruby joined up with her behind cover with Sun on their left.

“Well, this isn't fair!” Sun shouted over the gunfire.

“Nothing fair about fighting the mob!” Ruby shouted back as she drew Thorn Bouquet. Firing blind shots at their shooters.

Blake reloaded Gambol's pistol half as she scanned the area around her, looking for a possible opening up top.

“Guys, I'm gonna rope up top, hit ‘em from above!” Blake suggested.

“How?!” Sun responded. “There are dudes everywhere! Those machine gun nests might pin you, too!”

As if luck would have it, the LMGs took their time to reload, giving the three of them opportunity to peak, noticing…

Grimm?!

They ducked back into cover. Seeing that these Grimm had somehow been caged, no doubt by these suited sleazeballs.

Ruby and Blake pondered for a moment, before catching on quick and nodding.

“Okay, Sun!” Ruby called out. “I've got an even crazier idea than Blake's, not that hers won't work!”

Sun cautiously drew Ruyi/Jingu Bang, nodding at whatever came next.

“See those caged Grimm?” Blake shouted. “Ruby and I will loop around, blowout those nests, and then she's gonna use her Silver Eyes to blind them and take out the Grimm!”

“Can she do it on command now?!” Sun asked.

“Yeah, but it only works around Grimm, so we've got one shot here!” Ruby answered.

“Once the nests are wrecked and they're blinded, I'll send in the clones and pin ‘em down!” Sun told them.

The women nodded.

===========================

Blake roped up the walls with Gambol, narrowly avoiding detection with Ruby speeding in her Petal Burst Semblance, shirking around the bunkers up above.

Blake gave Ruby hand signals as to how she would get down there and blow the nests using a well-thrown grenade, while Ruby hand signaled back how she would concentrate on powering up her eyes.

No dice. Blake reached for the grenade belt on her catsuit's vest, only to see that it was also nabbed during her and Sun's strip search.

“Damn it.” Blake muttered.

“It _was_ a stealth mission at first.” Ruby pointed out.

Blake noticed the pile of ammunition housed between the bunkers, as she got a new plan.

“I'm gonna jump down there, leave a fire clone and blow those nests to hell.” She said.

“Okay.” Ruby replied. “Gimme a sec to get in a state for an eye blast.”

“We could bring in another humanoid Grimm, if it'll help.” Blake joked.

Ruby shut her eyes and began cycling through memories of her friends and loved ones.

Meanwhile, Blake dropped behind the twin bunkers, the 7.62 caliber rounds drowning out her boots meeting sand while she aimed Gambol around, ready for any nearby threats.

Any takedown would have been risky, knowing how bunched up the Cartel grunts all were. Instead, she crouch walked all over to the ammo piles adjacent to both MG nests, narrowly avoiding detection from the assistant gunner on the right.

Blake looked up to Ruby, still hyping herself up from any unnecessary busywork with Grimm just next to them. The black beasts shook their cages, eyeing their new potential lunch.

Just to help Ruby get her point across, Blake spun Gambol before roping her up to the stakes, flipping off the Sabers inside and hissing at them for good measure. Hopefully this would distract the goons as well.

Blake parkoured her way up on the walls, leaving behind a fiery present. The Clone exploded, sending brass shrapnel everywhere and blowing the bunkers sky high.

_Life…Is beautiful. It is precious…And it must be…Protected._

“Now, Ruby!” Blake called, the second the Sabers broke free of their confines.

The fort section was bathed in the very light used to destroy Salem. And even a year after her downfall, the light made Ruby and her friends feel pumped up for anything.

The silver light faded, disintegrating the Sabers and sparing the previously flaming gunners from being eaten alive, along with their pin-striped comrades.

The goons were awestruck, trying to process what just flashbanged their sorry asses.

“What the hell was that?!” One of them exclaimed.

“Where are the Grimm?!” Another yelped.

Before a witty answer could be spoken, four golden silhouettes of Sun Wukong bum rushed, tackling their targets as the real Sun stepped in, the shotgun mechanism on his gunchucks cocking, meeting them head-on.

“Show's over!” Sun declared.

Behind the toadies, Ruby put a fresh battery into Thorn Bouquet and discharging the weapon into the air, along with Blake aiming Gambol Shroud to rally them up.

“Freeze, jerks!” Ruby ordered.

“Nobody move.” Blake ordered next.

The gunmen all winced, dropping their weapons and raising their hands up.

“We surrender.” One of them meekly stated.

Blake exchanged a smirk with Sun, then Ruby, with whom she exchanged a fist bump.

===========================

But they weren't out of the woods yet.

Even with their new prisoners, the trio still had to find Luca and bring him down along with this little posse they all wrangled up.

“So where'd you last see him?” Ruby asked. All while aiming at a group of thugs.

Blake thought for a second as she looked down to her stomach, then back at Sun. Who merely shrugged.

“No clue.” Blake answered. “We saw him in where we were held hostage, but he just vanished for a bit.” She added, gesturing the prisoners to get up and walk with them.

Ruby briefly spoke with the captain of her stationed frigate, KVS Intrepid.

Then she turned back to Blake and Sun, saying that they have Bullheads on the way to give these goons a nice cell block.

“You think they'll talk?” Ruby asked them.

“Well, somebody's gotta know Gio's whereabouts.” Sun answered, still aiming his gunchucks towards the hapless goons.

“Yeah.” Said Blake. “But who…?” She then pondered.

Ruby checked her grenade belt, just to make sure she had green smoke for the extraction Bullheads.

“Don't know about you two, but I bet it feels good to take these guys hostage after you've been captured.” Said Ruby.

Sun grinned at that statement.

“Oh, yeah.” He said with a chuckle. “Doesn’t feel so good, does it, fellas?” He taunted towards the minions.

“Oh, no.” Blake dramatized. “Now they have no hostages to cop a feel on and search for contraband.” She said, winking at Sun to continue.

“Where will they ever find more?” Sun hammed next.

Ruby stifled her laugh, but decided it was her turn to join in on the joke.

“Maybe they can bribe- -“

_Ratatatatatatatatatat!_

Their banter was abruptly cut off by gunfire, which they had narrowly dodged.

Ruby aimed TB around, while Sun & Blake stood back-to-back. Ready to take on whatever came next.

Several goons ducked down, knowing what was coming next as they braced themselves for a cause of death they knew would come had they been seen out of line.

“Little Red, Little Red!”

Luca's murderous temper.


	5. Ready Or Not

“Our Bullheads were getting shot up earlier by small arms fire, what the hell’s going on down there?” Captain Schumer of the Intrepid spoke on a secure channel.

Sun helped Ruby up to her feet, while Blake nodded letting her husband know that she was okay.

As Ruby regained her footing, she saw one of the squad leaders onboard the Bullheads speak after helping his teammates up.

“Intrepid, HVT (High-Value Target) just opened fire on us earlier. Retreated with heavy infantry back into the fort.” The sergeant reported.

Schumer shook his head on the other line.

“Damn it.” The captain spoke. “Miss Rose, are you there?” He then asked Ruby on her device.

“Yeah, I’m here.” Ruby answered. “Everyone’s fine, but Luca, he…He killed his men that we were all taking prisoner.” She reported, looking over the trail and mishmash of sharp-dressed bodies that were either blown up, set on fire, or turned into bullet-ridden Swiss cheese.

Schumer cursed on the other line again, understanding that this little shit wasn’t well in the head considering how he was willing to kill his own men in cold blood.

Real Section 8 material that his assigned Huntress was dealing with here.

“Miss Rose, it’s absolutely vital that these Cartel thugs don’t escape.” The captain stated.

“We’ll do everything we can,” said Ruby, “just give us some time and we’ll take him out. Dead or alive?” She then asked.

“I don’t care if this is an order from King Ozymandias being Laid in State.” The captain spoke again. 

“We’re not just dealing with some mafia in an old serial here, Miss Rose. If the Cartel wants to play rough, they will have it. I’m recalling my extraction teams to secure the mainland on Menagerie to make sure there’s no fatal accidents.” He clarified.

Blake looked around at the Valean commandos, who all looked pretty annoyed as she snatched Ruby’s scroll, giving the captain a piece of her mind.

“Intrepid, do you copy?” Blake asked.

Schumer nodded on the other line.

“This is Captain Schumer of the KVS Intrepid.” He replied. “Who am I speaking to?” He then asked.

Blake cleared her throat before answering.

“This is Blake Belladonna.” She answered. “I’m a Huntress, native to Menagerie. Although I’m working with Humans here to catch one in my territory, I request that your men stay with us to corner Luca Blu and put an end to his trafficking operation.” She insisted.

A pause occurred on the line, as the captain gave his answer.

“Acknowledged, Miss Belladonna.” Schumer conceded. 

“We were unaware of the significance of your part in this mission. On behalf of the personnel under my command. I apologize if I’ve inconvenienced your role in this whole operation.” He then admitted.

Blake nodded, smiling in approval at his understanding.

“Apology accepted.” She said. “There is something you can do for us, though.” She proposed.

“I'm listening, ma'am.” Schumer replied.

Blake felt Sun's tail around her waist again, as he hugged her from behind in a moment of peace before resuming the mission.

“The Menagerie Guard's captain, Saber Rodentia, is who you want to contact if he suspects any military action near the southwest island.” She began, feeling less tense in Sun's arms.

“Go on.” Schumer insisted.

“My father, Ghira Belladonna, is the island's chieftain. If he sees something is wrong, he'll want to request a phone meeting with the Prime Minister on Vale's mainland.” She explained.

Schumer nodded, gesturing his staff to contact Parliament and get Ghira on the horn with them.

“Yes, ma'am.” He answered. “I'll call Parliament immediately to brief your father on this operation. Miss Rose spoke with your family earlier, when she heard that you were captured. We were just off-shore when the SOS signal went out.” He explained.

Blake smiled at this move, killing three Griffons with one shot by stopping a Human/Faunus trafficker, throwing invaders out of her home turf, AND preventing an international misunderstanding.

“Thank you, Captain.” She said.

“You're welcome, Miss Belladonna.” Schumer said. “I'm relinquishing authority of our two squads on the island to you for the duration of this mission. Give ‘em hell. Schumer out.”

“Okay guys, we're moving out.” The Chief Petty Officer leading both commando squads announced. “Follow the Hunters, and don't let a single mobster get off this island.”

Ruby stepped forward.

“Blake, Sun and I will box Luca in. We'll meet just at the northern shoreline to get on outta here.” She said.

“You heard the lady, boys.” Chief Bernard spoke again. “Gonna cage him and bring him in, because that's how we do it seaborne. Hooyah!” She said, hyping up the troops as they shouted back.

“Hooyah!”

\-------------------------

Machine gun and mortar fire peppered Fort Noah's entrance, softening the blow a bit before Ruby, Blake and Sun all ran in, cleaning house with Luca's brute squad.

Sun stepped forward, getting stared down by the exoskeleton of a stolen Paladin-290. Classic Torchwick move as he spun his staff around, taunting the pilot to come closer.

Blake, meanwhile, was face-to-face with a fire-breathing goon, no doubt his Semblance as he belched flames from having a drink of vodka.

“Shouldn’t be wearing something so skin-tight, lapochka!” The fire-breather taunted.

“And you shouldn't be showboating.” Blake retorted, with Gambol Shroud's sharpness being audible as she swung it around, then held it to her side.

Meanwhile, Ruby ran along side with Gold Team, firing pop shots with Crescent Rose against Luca's entourage up top.

The entourage was shooed away by mortars firing behind them, some even collapsing onto the ground. While Ruby and Petty Officer Bernard gestured Blue and Orange Teams to advance once the area was clear.

Sun threw his staff like a javelin, in an attempt to lodge it into the exoskeleton's console and jam the controls. 

Close, but no cigar, as the literally barebones paladin stomped forward, attempting to crush him like a gnat.

Sun rolled out of the way, summoning his Via Sun clones again, the four of them crawling onto the hunk of 'get-on-my-level-I'm-in-a-mech' and pounding on the frame, in an attempt to find an opening.

A metallic groan sounded as one clone pointed out a battery in the back of the frame's hull, and just before the pilot could react, Sun winked at his target and ran upwards.

He vaulted with Ruyi/Jingu Bang again, discharging his shotgun barrels for good measure in an impromptu recoil boost. 

Then Sun narrowly dodged a fist trying to shake him off, grabbing the staff and poking the mech pilot in the eye.

“I'm blind! I'm blind!” The pilot whined as the Via Sun clones were whacked into thin air one-by-one from the metallic arm.

The OG Sun, meanwhile, blasted away with both gunchucks into the engine core, yanking the battery out and leaping from the collapsing mech. 

He walked away back into the fight as Ruby sniped the cockpit for good measure.

Boom, headshot.

Blake, meanwhile, bobbed and weaved her way around firebrand over there.

She quickly loaded an Ice Dust magazine into Gambol Shroud, taking pot shots with burst fire mode in an attempt to weaken the incredible flaming futz.

“Hey, Belladonna!” He taunted. “You ever have grilled cat steak before?!” He added with a laugh.

Blake rolled her eyes, finding an opening as she dashed forward.

A quick icy slash across the fire-breather's torso made it's way downwards after she leaped, jumping on the loudmouth's head and sending half of his midsection sliding off, the ice barely holding his body together.

“No, but you're on ice.” She quickly joked.

 _Ugh. Good thing Yang didn't hear that._ She thought with a cringe.

===========================

Somewhere, at the local spa in Patch, Yang Xiao Long sneezed.

===========================

“Rosebud 6-1,” a drone operator spoke on Ruby's Scroll from the Intrepid's lower deck.

“Go for Rosebud.” Ruby answered, laying in cover next to Chief Bernard.

“I've got a PID (Positive Identification) on Luca.” She chimed in. “He's making his way into the fort's arena. Looks like he's setting a trap, how copy?” The operator then asked.

Ruby exchanged a look with Chief Bernard, who simply nodded back, but giving a wary look knowing that yes, it was a trap.

“I’m heading in there; Blake and Sun will catch up with me.”

“Acknowledged.” The operator spoke.

As Ruby got up, Bernard held her shoulder for a second.

“You know he’s probably gonna have Grimm in there, right?” Bernard asked.

Ruby acknowledged her words simply by loading a fresh magazine into Crescent Rose and nodding.

“You say that it’s not a new tactic.” She mused, cocking CR’s bolt.

Bernard followed suit by reloading her rifle.

“No, but with the crazy shit you Huntresses deal with, it’ll take a while to put the thought behind me.” The Chief said, gesturing to her squads.

“Fair enough.” Ruby said with a smile and nod as she activated Petal Burst, jumping off into the arena to face the target head-on.

“Guys, I’m heading inside to corner Luca.” Ruby said on Blake and Sun’s Scrolls. “Take the Chief and her squads into the inside, secure the area and meet me there.” She suggested.

“You got it.” Blake confirmed. “Let’s go, Sun!” She said to her husband.

“Thought you’d never ask.” He said back, joining his wife in some more room clearing.

Maybe some fortification clearing, while they were at it.

===========================

Luca ran into the arena, checking his Scroll to see that the trap was still set in place.

Well, the military arrived foolishly, as predicted. 

And now with that much backup on Little Red, Kitty Cat, and Tall-Blonde-&-Dumbass’ behalf, he and the boys might as well have made a final stand.

And given the blood pact many have signed in the Cartel, the whole ‘death-before-dishonor’ thing was basically inevitable from the founding members’ (read: Giovanni and his personal minions) edicts when they set up shop.

With the way Roman had treated many of his foot soldiers as expendable, when compared to how Giovanni claimed they were part of one big, happy, screwed-up crime family.

Luca opened his suit jacket and gave a sadistic grin.

C40 bombs, laid into his vest, ready to blow Fort Noah sky high should he be boxed in. Assuming that Little Red and her buddies wouldn’t get the first shot.

Speaking of Little Red, he turned to see her there, hood up, scythe stood up in the ground.

Ruby casually munched on a strawberry, waiting on Blake and Sun. She wiped the strawberry juice from her mouth onto her glove and gave a challenging smile at Luca.

“You really don’t wanna do this.” Ruby suggested, turning around.

Luca flinched, cocking his assault rifle as the reaper stepped forward.

“There’s a lot of ways this can end badly for ya.” She continued.

“Oh, yeah? Like what?” He replied, sweating.

Ruby checked her Scroll again, catching wind that Blake and Sun were about to scale the wall in the arena.

She then turned back to Luca, still giving a taunting smirk and casually twirling Crescent Rose.

“You don’t have to tell me what,” Ruby mused. “But I could slice you, dice you, use your body as an oversized hacky sack. I could feed to my pet Corgi.” She rambled.

Then hearing the sound of Gambol Shroud’s blade entering the palisade walls, and male grunts of effort behind him, Luca drew his Scroll, pushing a button releasing two large metal doors behind him.

The doors fell to the ground.

Goliaths.

“And OF COURSE you have a conveniently-placed Grimm trap!” Ruby complained.

Luca drew another one of his assault rifles and unloaded in Ruby’s direction, countered by Ruby spinning CR to deflect the rounds as he taunted the Goliaths to hit the Faunus couple.

“What the hell are ya waitin’ for, mating season?!” Luca shouted. “Kill that bitch and her boy toy, ya frigging elephants!”

The Goliaths brayed, slowly marching towards the Belladonnas on top of the walls as their eyes widened in terror.

Ruby facepalmed.

“Oh, for…”

Ruby’s Silver Eyes quickly charged up, bathing the fort in light once again and petrifying the Goliaths before they could do some illegal carpentry and inconveniencing the natives. The light faded, causing the Goliaths to crumble down, nearly crushing Luca as he dodged it, his suit ripped up and generally battered from the debris.

“RED!” He shouted.

Nowhere to be seen just yet.

“WHERE ARE YOU, RED?! I KNOW YOU’RE HERE!”

Luca continued his hoarse shouting from nearly inhaling the stone dust as he was then cornered by Blake, holding Gambol Shroud sideways and shaking her head at him. Then by Sun, who swung Ruyi/Jingu Bang around like dual batons as he tried calling for Ruby again.

“COME ON OUT, RED!”

Behind a nearby pillar, Ruby’s eyes powered down, the smokey energy faded while she checked her Scroll’s stopwatch, unamused as how frigging stupid he was to summon Grimm against her. Remnant’s reaper sighed, drawing her hood down as she opted to draw Thorn Bouquet on this lunkhead.

“Now, I tried to warn you that was a bad idea!” Ruby moaned. “But noooooo, you had to be a badbutt and try to scare me off with Grimm you captured.”

“Badbutt?” Luca asked. “What are ya, 11 years old?”

Ruby rolled her eyes, knocking the wind out of his gut with TB’s butt stock.

“Shut up, I don’t like to swear!” She retorted. “Anyway, we’re taking you in.” She then said.

Luca paused, ignoring their demands to hold his hands up and started laughing manically.

He then ripped off his suit jacket, revealing the C40 charges underneath and drawing his detonators. Which caused the group to back up.

“Well, at least you’ll all be together in death when this goes off!” Luca taunted, cackling again.

Blake looked around, tackling Luca and attempting to wrestle the detonator away from his hands, but he only laughed some more.

“No, Blake!” Sun shouted. “NO!”

Luca kicked her off, as Sun and Ruby picked her up.

“Arrivederci!” He shouted, about to pull the clacker’s lever.

Before anybody could react, the ground rumbled, and everyone was caught off-guard. The ground behind Luca burst, sand flying everywhere as a giant plant roared out. Then seeing Luca and gobbling him up inside it’s petals.

“Oh my Gods!” Sun reacted.

The plant flailed around some more, as Ruby did some quick thinking and shot out the C40 detonator with Thorn Bouquet, shorting out the circuits and producing sparks. After 12 agonizing seconds of spurting blood, sand flying and chomping noises, the plant burrowed back into the ground, leaving the trio to catch their breath from that sight.

Sun hyperventilated. Both at the sight of nearly seeing his wife take one for the team, and at how he forgot just how needlessly graphic that Menagerie’s southwest island could get.

Ruby was frozen solid, her mouth hanging open but unable to utter a sound of shock at the sight of Luca being turned into compost.

Blake’s hands shook. Not out of old trauma but seeing the tales she heard as a kid of man-eating flora on this side of her home made manifest.

The Intrepid radioed in, saying how the escaping Cartel boat was caught, and the goons were in custody awaiting trial.

Chief Petty Officer Bernard then radioed in, stating that the area was secure, and the tribes could come back home, away from modern civilization. She congratulated her men, and the Hunters on a job well done for this op.

Mission accomplished.

“Let’s…Go home.” Blake nervously suggested.

\-------------------------

Kali & Ghira greeted their daughter with hugs and tearful relief at her safety.

She and Sun were still in shock from that plant gobbling up their target. So they sat in Ghira’s quarters, wrapped up in shock blankets from that pretty picture.

Blake smiled at her husband, who was nervously smiling as well. 

But then she looked out to the Menagerie night sky, wondering what she should say to him regarding her announcement before beginning the mission.

Yeah. It should have been earlier before checking the fort out. But Blake didn’t want to make Sun panic, given how she has a history of being vague…

There really wasn’t any reason to hide it, given how badly Blake wanted kids, but wasn’t the most upfront with Sun about it. Hopefully this didn’t affect their marriage at all.

“Honey, you’re making that face again.” Sun quickly commented just like earlier today, in the cell.

Blake sighed.

“Yeah, I know…” She groused. “I just wish that- -“

Before she could explain things and apologize to Sun for being so quiet, Ruby opened the door.

“Hey, dinner’s ready. I can come bring it up for you.” Ruby offered.

Blake smiled.

“That sounds good.” She said. “Sun and I just got finished talking, by the way. We’re fine.” Blake added.

“Things got really weird before I showed up, huh?” Ruby asked.

Sun sighed.

“You have no idea. But the good news is, we’re gonna get some downtime from missions for the next 9 months.” He said, feeling Blake’s hand move his to her stomach.

Blake was nervous earlier but now felt relief at the fact that they were safe and sound now.

“Depends on how sick I start to feel.” She joked.

Ruby nodded and turned to head back downstairs, but then she paused.

“Oh, and before I forget…” She said.

The couple happily looked her way, waiting for what she was gonna say. Until Ruby yanked Blake into a hug.

“CONGRATULATIONS!” She squealed.

Ruby’s arms coiled around Blake’s torso, at which she hadn’t received a hug this bone-crushing ever since Nora embraced her during Sun’s proposal. Ruby continued to grasp Blake, rubbing cheeks with her as she could barely move.

“Th-thanks, Ruby. But…Can’t…Breathe!” She sputtered.

Ghira returned with Kali at his side, prying Ruby off with his gargantuan hands as she grinned in apology.

Blake and Sun locked into a long-awaited kiss, Kali cooing in the background along with Ruby at this sight. A long day had been ahead of them, but it was worth it in the end with the news of their new life blooming.

The kiss was concluded as Sun sat back down, wrapping her arms around Blake and lying with her in a cuddle in both of their shock blankets. 

Ghira couldn’t help but smile at this sight, knowing how he always had been curious about having grandchildren, and how much he could teach this new kitten.

Kali on the other hand was on the verge of joyful tears. Ruby handed her a tissue, just as excited as she was.

Sun curled up with Blake, holding her from behind, and focusing on her stomach. He hugged it as Blake rested the back of her head into Sun’s throat, feeling more content. More ready and confident to learn the basics of parenthood.

Now all that was left was to figure out the gender.


	6. Ultrasound

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With the dust settled, Blake and Sun get to know about their baby for a bit. And the settle on a name.

3 months later…

\-------------------------

Sun Wukong didn't necessarily like waiting sometimes.

What he was waiting for varied. But in this case, the wait so far had been worth it. Just that the news of his and Blake's child had been a bit sudden, to put it lightly.

It wasn't anything dangerous. Far from it. Turns out they were expecting a little girl, just as Sun wanted.

The door leading outside into the maternity wing opened up. The Belladonnas were greeted by none other than their former Headmistress and dear friend, Glynda Goodwitch.

The older woman had a content smile on her face that didn’t scream ‘classic her’ but showed that she was over the moon to learn about another pair of her former students starting a family.

Blake had been nervous, sure, but Glynda’s smile alone was proof that she wasn’t going to be alone on the road to motherhood, and that she had plenty of allies to back up her and Sun on this one. As soon as she walked up, shaking hands with Blake and her husband, there was only one word to be said.

“Congratulations.” Glynda spoke, having waited a whole week to say this after the news reached her desk.

Blake smiled back, her cat ears perking up at her tone.

“Thank you, Glynda.” She said. Happy to see her former teacher at this momentous occasion.

“Thanks, Glyn.” Sun said next. Clearly not as formal as either them but earning a chuckle from the Headmistress.

“As always, Sun, your vocabulary around a faculty member needs work.” Goodwitch joked. “It’s good to see you two again.” She then mused. Smile widening at the expectant couple holding hands.

Blake merely pulled her in for a surprise hug, which she quickly returned.

“I’m definitely nervous.” Blake explained as she faced Goodwitch again, still smiling. “But I am excited.” She then said, sitting back down.

“I still have some cramps from when Miss Val- -When Nora had embraced me during little Cha Hua’s gender reveal.” Goodwitch recalled, wincing at the memory of one of Nora’s bone-crushing hugs.

“Then you definitely don’t want a hug from my dad.” Blake remarked with a laugh.

The Headmistress chuckled again.

“Yes, not even Bart could escape from Ghira’s grasp at the pre-graduation gala.” Goodwitch remembered.

Memories aside, the professor stopped by to drop some important details for the couple. 

While RWBYJNR had received their licenses with no particular allegiance to any of the four Kingdoms, she was still technically monitoring the students who took orders from Ozpin’s cabal from the Salem Crisis.  
This meant that she had special missions for all of them. More than Professors Lionheart III, Theodore, or General Alec Ironwood.

But Glynda stepped in for them, putting all missions on hold for this newfound pregnancy followed by maternity leave. That way, their daughter could spend more time with them in this brave new world.  
Just as she was about to text Profess- -DOCTOR, Oobleck, she took another look at the ultrasound screen, with something catching the corner of her eye.

“Wait a second…” Glynda muttered.

This caused Blake to shoot up her cat ears in suspicion.

“What?” Sun replied in concern.

“Something wrong?” Blake then asked.

Glynda squinted.

“Doctor.” Glynda stated. “Could you please let them see the fetus?” She then asked.

The doctor looked up in surprise at the headmistress’ request.

“Where specifically, ma’am?” He inquired.

“Base of the spine.” She specified.

The doc nodded, rotating the screen 30 degrees to the right of the hospital bed and showing the couple something interesting about their daughter…

“Wait…What?!” Sun exclaimed.

“Our baby has two traits?!” Blake exclaimed, holding her face in his hands. As they both noticed that their baby was growing a tail at the base of her spine.

The doctor noted the couple’s shocked looks as he found his way to the door, looking over to the Headmistress who noticed him before he could turn the door handle.

“I’m going to go retrieve Dr. Enzo, ma’am.” He explained to Glynda. “He’s more familiar with Faunus babies than me.”

“Thank you.” Glynda said with a nod as the other doctor stepped out for a moment.

The Headmistress looked to notice Sun holding his wife’s shoulders as both of them were unsure on how to react to this anomaly with their new life brewing.

“Are you feeling alright, Blake?” Goodwitch asked, raising an eyebrow in concern.

Menagerie’s scion looked up, blinking then opening her mouth to formulate her response.

“Wha- -What does this mean?” Blake stammered.

“Sorry?” Goodwitch responded.

“Does this mean that something’s gonna go wrong?” Blake said, pupils shrinking. 

“Babe, I think you’re exaggerating a bit.” Sun said, hugging her as her face met his chest.

“Am I?!” She shouted just as the doctor walked in the examination room.

Blake’s ears shot up, taking note of a dark-skinned, elderly balding man wearing half-moon glasses, red scrubs. The doctor revealed his grin, setting Sun at ease as they exchanged greetings.

“Well, look who it is!” Doctor Hiram Enzo, M.D., said as he exchanged a quick half-hug with Sun.

“How ya doing, Doc?” Sun beamed.

“Wonderful.” Enzo answered. “I just wish that I didn’t have a Code Blue to attend to earlier. But the young man is a fast healer, which is why I’m glad to slow down and catch up with you two about the news.”

 _Bad things hopefully don’t come in twos._ Blake pondered with a rhyme.

“Hey, Doctor.” She nervously greeted, ears drooping in how he walked in amidst her freak out.

“Blake, hello.” He said with another smile, giving her a firm handshake. “First of all, congratulations on you and Sun’s little girl.” He added.

“Thanks.” She said. “But, did Milo tell you about the, uh…” She said, gesturing her head to the ultrasound monitor.

“Yes.” Enzo said with a nod. “Now that is something else. I’ve only had one couple with a dual trait Faunus baby.”

“Is this going to be a problem?” Blake asked.

“Blake.” Sun groaned.

“Is she gonna have one arm?”

“Blake.” Sun groaned again.

“Or is she gonna have 3 arms?”

“Blake…” Sun groaned yet again, this time with a facepalm.

“Is it better to have less or more arms? Wait, what if there’s no arms?!”

“Blake!” Sun finally exclaimed.

“What?!” Blake shouted back.

“Can we let the doctor explain it?” He pleaded.

“…Ahem. Please continue doctor.” She insisted, catching Glynda’s eyeroll in the background.

“Heh-heh, they told me that you were a fretter. No ma’am, the only thing that’s gonna cause your baby problems is all your fretting.” Enzo reassured Blake. "You see dual-trait Faunus are a rare sight indeed, but there is certainly nothing wrong with having two traits.” He explained.

“There isn’t?” Blake asked.

“Not at all. It is a rare trait that occurs when two parents of different Faunus species have a child. The child can either be a completely random breed, which is most common. Share a trait with one of the parents, which is rare. Or share both parents traits, which is extremely rare.” Enzo stated.

“But just to be clear: It’s not bad?” She then asked.

“Not in any way.” Enzo said, shaking his head. “In fact, you might take it as a sign: Your baby is gonna be something special.” 

Blake exchanged a goofy smile with Sun. His wife blushed at her panicked state earlier. 

“And If you don’t mind, I’d like to take over as your monitoring OB-GYN.” The doctor offered. “You see I’m planning on retiring in a few years, and I’d sure like the chance to monitor a baby like this, along with a few other physicians here at the clinic.” He had requested.

Knowing how much of a ride was ahead, and how much Blake had freaked out initially, there really wasn’t much lengthy consideration to answering this request.

“Doctor, we would love to have you.” Blake answered.

“Thank you so kindly.” The doctor sighed happily. “If there’s nothing else, you two are free to go.” He got up to leave. “Oh and Blake, it’s better to be born with more limbs then less.” He said with a wink, walking out of the examination room.

The assassin sighed in relief, melting back into Sun’s embrace who cradled her soon-to-be baby bump, giving her ears a gentle nibble. Blake giggled at her husband’s affection as Glynda smiled next, checking her Scroll for messages and freezing their mission lists.

Already, Sun was looking forward to becoming a dad. The experience of raising a little kitten had him even happier than he had been when reuniting with Blake after Salem’s downfall. Not just that they had been happy to be together in holy matrimony after Blake and her friends had canceled the apocalypse... 

But how there was the opportunity ahead of them with a young life on the horizon.

“You two are very lucky to have each other.” Glynda said.

“Yeah.” Blake sighed. “Like you wouldn’t believe.”

And this is where they go around, asking their friends who have children advice.

\-------------------------

2 months later…

\-------------------------

Saphron and Terra-Cotta Arc were definitely their first choices into the major inquiries into parenthood.

Upstairs in their home, Saphron had been in the middle of soothing Adrian from a nap, with the toddler a little cranky from his recent sleep. Soon he would greet a fellow developing child in the womb, probably giving Blake and Sun some perspective. Terra sat with them, listing off some much-needed pregnancy advice in her wife’s stead.

“If you need to satisfy any cravings, do it ASAFP.” Terra continued as they sat.

Blake nodded nervously, clenching Sun’s hand.

“So how will it affect the baby?” She then asked.

Terra briefly removed her glasses, showing the look in her brown eyes as to how much she wasn’t joking with this following statement.

“Cravings are totally normal, Blake.” She said. “Sure, you’ll eat some weird stuff, but it’s how both parties – you and Sun’s daughter – will get the energy and such. Even if it’s junk food.” Terra concluded.

Blake gulped. She recalled the horror stories from Kali about what downright ungodly cravings she had back when Blake was in the womb at the time. Space Age Out of This World Moon Waffles, cooked with caramel sauce and browned butter was a big one.

Others were the Sloppy Jazlyn. A baguette pizza sandwich mixed with mozzarella, chili and macaroni and cheese. Something with Blake was ashamed to admit tasted pretty good when Yang had fixed it up for her on the anniversary of her bachelorette night 4 months in.

Spaghetti tacos, which were purely Ruby’s idea after fasting during a recon mission in Vacuo. One that involved a painfully boring amount of time camping in an observation post looking for bandits.

Perhaps it wasn’t the best diet for a Huntress who prided herself on stealth and hit-and-run tactics, but it was all Blake had in between the other weird cravings she heard about throughout the years.

Kinda typical for Blake.

Blake…

Blake…

“Blake.” Sun said, prodding her.

“Huh? What?!” She said, shaking her head.

“Still with us?” He asked raising an eyebrow.

Blake blinked, then nodded at her husband’s observation before turning back to Terra.

“You kinda blacked out on us for a minute there, hon.” Terra commented.

“Right! Sorry.” Blake replied. “Just thinking about whatever weird stuff I’ll be eating for a while. It got me thinking is all.” She embarrassingly said.

Terra simply drank her tea, giving a skeptical look at her friend’s comment.

“Well, it’s gonna feed your kitten too, won’t it?” The technician joked.

“Yeah. Yeah, it’s just that…You know.” Blake trailed off.

“Can you tell she’s had kind of a rough pregnancy?” Sun snarked.

“I’m a signals technician and I could see it from the Haven CCTS balcony.” Terra wisecracked. “Not just your baby bump there.” She added gesturing to Blake’s stomach with her mug.

“Is it really that noticeable?” The cat Faunus asked with a wince.

“Sweetie, I’m kidding.” Terra said. “Take it from someone who carried a boy for 9 months: It gets better sooner than you think. You’ll cry a lot, you’ll throw a fit or two, but think of it like- -”

“No sword analogies, please.” Sun remarked.

Blake nearly elbowed her husband knowing her experience with being stabbed but couldn’t argue with that and set her arm down.

Terra adjusted her glasses before continuing.

“But I’ve heard a lot of stories about how painful it is.” Blake complained, ears drooping.

“Yeah. But that’s the whole idea.” Terra said. “I don’t wanna scare you, but it does hurt. But when the baby pops out into the world…You just love your kid. You don’t have to love them right away, but it’s all up to you how you raise them.” She coaxed.

“What was it like when Adrian was born?” Sun asked for his wife knowing how nervous she was with questions like this right now.

Terra sighed setting her mug down and breaking out her wallet, showing a photo of Adrian finally walking for the first time without input from either of his mothers, Saphron covering her mouth in shock and awe at their son’s first full steps.

“See this photo?” Terra asked. “When Adrian was born after a family reunion just before Jaune left to join Beacon, I keep this photo to remind me that I can’t just live in fear.” She explained.

“In the long run?” Sun asked, holding Blake’s hand.

“Not entirely.” Terra answered. “The thing is, guys, being a parent is nothing but anxiety-inducing. Even if you think you’re not the best parent at times, or live under different circumstances, you just love your baby. If you gotta put on a brave face if things go wrong, yeah, do it. But when you love your kids, you don’t stop there. Just love them.” She finally concluded.

Blake smiled. She looked back at Sun, then winced upon getting up. Terra got the message quick and gave her a hug from one mom to another, being gentle in her embrace to not hurt her unborn daughter.

Terra rubbed Blake’s back during their hug as the cat ninja sat down onto the carpet. She looked around at Adrian’s Manta airship toy which reminded her of how she had probably been through enough missions during the Salem Crisis to be through worse.

“You’re gonna make me wish I was more awake to cry.” Blake told Terra, her smile unchanging.

“Hey. I could use your water to power a new hydroelectric heating system at my job when it breaks.” The technician joked prompting a laugh from Blake.

“You’ll have to pick me and him up from breathing lessons, then.” She joked back.

The wives exchanged a laugh as Sun noticed Saphron holding Adrian, now calm, walking down the stairs as he walked over to her.

“Need a hand, Saph?” The monkey asked.

“I got it, Sun. Thanks.” Saphron said with a yawn, bleary-eyed from trying to calm her son down for the past hour.

“Somebody’s gotta do it.” He said, knowing how it was probably good practice before he entered the dad learning curve into the Fall.

“Can you change a diaper?” Saphron inquired.

“You do know I helped out with that the first time I came here, right?” Sun pointed out.

Saphron pinched the bridge of her nose, giving a sharp inhale as Adrian babbled with Terra waving at her son. Blake used her cat instincts and gave Adrian a slow blink as a sign of trust and love which prompted happy noises from the toddler.

“Yeah, you did, didn’t you.” She said with a cringe. “Sorry, guys. I’ve had a migraine recently, and Adrian’s been kind of a bugaboo due to how my head hurts so much.” The housewife then said to Blake as well.

“Babe, come have a seat.” Terra offered. “Somebody needs wife cuddles after a case of the Mondays~” She said with a cutesy teasing tone.

“Ha-ha.” Saphron snarked as she handed Adrian to Sun, who then got an idea.

“Hey, buddy.” Sun told the kid. “Auntie Blake and I have something to show you.” He said as he set Adrian down next to Blake who still sat on the rug, immediately taking notice of her baby bump.

Blake’s eyes widened, blinking at the young boy. 

A short pause passed as Adrian pushed himself up and walked over to the assassin’s belly. He slowly walked over which had everybody in the room captivated with how he’d react.

He looked back up to see the kitty lady who he saw a year or so earlier. They met at first back when his uncle and his friends were on a mission to stop a mean Grimm lady, but he had more of a spotlight with Yang, Weiss, and Maria.

Blake held out her hand, quickly catching the memo and holding out her hand. Adrian looked back up and took the hand upon Blake’s invitation with another slow cat-like blink.

She gently took his little hand and placed it upon her stomach, grunting as her daughter gave another kick, surprising Adrian and causing him to land on his butt. But he got back up as Sun observed his curiosity.

The toddler uttered a curious sound as Blake smiled taking his hand again and placing it against the bump.

“Yeah, that’s another baby inside of me.” Blake softly said to him.

“You’re not gonna tell him about the stork, are you?” Sun asked.

Blake rolled her eyes, picking up Adrian and setting him on the coffee table. Terra smiled at just how much she knew already when it came to telling children what was up.

Saphron cupped her face in her hands, amazed at how quickly Blake was learning before any arrival or the like. She let out a surprised “aww” at just how captivated her son was from Blake’s charm.

“I’m gonna become a mommy.” She softly told Adrian. “You could get a new friend to play with, sweetie.” She then said, which the young man grinned at.

“And they call us cheesy parents?” Terra whispered to Saphron who rested her head in her wife’s lap from her low sleep.

Saphron let out a grunt of agreement as she picked her son back up, cradling him into her chest as she put Terra’s lap pillow to good use.

“So what’s gonna be her name?” Saphron then asked.

Blake arched her back onto the base of the cushion. Sun sat right behind her on the sofa as they exchanged a quick kiss, then she looked back at the two wives, to her stomach, then back at the couple still smiling.

“Alexandria.” She answered. “Alexandria Shiva Belladonna.” She clarified which made Sun smile as he spoke next.

“But we’re thinking of just calling her Alex.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY FUCKING SHIT that took forever.
> 
> Unfortunately, I'm really strapped for time IRL and don't have much to add right now other than I've had IRL issues bogging me down in terms of writing a bit. Family health stuff, Internet drama, along with recent events around the world...You could probably guess what.
> 
> My special thanks go out to Lost-One-60 for being a real trooper with hearing me ramble and mumble about my headcanon ideas and the like. I know you're busy with Uni, but you really helped me out when I started putting this AU on paper. Thanks, buddy.
> 
> I also must give my thanks to EzRoar for accepting my hard-earned money for a commission of just what Alex looks like in Bloodlines but as well as being a dear friend for listening and being there for me a lot, not to mention how Ez is working their ass off with finding a job and keeping their art business going. Cheers, mate.
> 
> Ez's commission work on Alex (along with my Iceberg rwbaby Dominick): https://www.deviantart.com/teh-j0ey/art/Alex-Belladonna-and-Dominick-Schnee-by-EzRoar-823862054
> 
> DarkSaiyanGoku for helping me exchange ideas and give me some really personal feedback which just really brightened my day with my current job leaving me feeling like a husk afterwards. As well as his new Final Fantasy/RWBY crossover series which I'm looking forward to reading and learning about the world of FF over time.
> 
> And my friends in the Rosegarden, Black Sun, and Iceberg Discord servers. You may not end up seeing this fic, you might, but you all are the best with whatever feedback and such you can provide in between your own busy schedules. Y'all are some bad motherfuckers and it means a lot with how much you look out for me when I'm feeling down.
> 
> Now, unfortunately...Bloodlines is gonna be on hold. For a while. I've been facing a lot of depression and other mental health issues that would probably take a whole separate "not a story" post to describe which I don't want to bore anyone with, nor make it seem like "I'm being oppressed weeeeh" since I neither want to make it seem like an excuse or something to downplay others' mental health.
> 
> Does this mean I'm done writing fan fiction? No. I just need to take a step back and re-evaluate how I proceed with it knowing how a lot of my ambitions have bit me in the ass.
> 
> What does this mean for Bloodlines? Well, I had an idea where rather than write any "main" stories I instead write one-shots and shorts set within this AU to spice things up a bit and keep anybody interested in my work intrigued with something to read while I figure how this setting's future production-wise since falling behind on it has made me feel like roadkill.
> 
> On top of that, I may have to delay certain things like smut stories. Knowing how long that Cloudy With a Chance of Velvet took me to complete to make sure things were done right. I wanna keep writing smut as well, but I couldn't get one out in time for Chinese New Year with how much crap was flying at me at once back in February.
> 
> Needless to say, folks, I gotta take a step back and just ease off of me writing fan fiction for a while. More is on the way, I really just feel like I need a breather after this fic.
> 
> Now then! Enough rambling and feeling sorry for myself. I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I did bringing it to life.
> 
> Here's the previous story which properly introduces my Rwbabies: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21297569/chapters/50714510
> 
> And if you're interested in some more Black Sun writing from me, check out this one-shot I wrote featuring Rosegarden: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21301763
> 
> Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go take a power nap and recharge my brain batteries. Thanks for reading and I hope to see y'all again with future RWBY content soon.
> 
> Peace!
> 
> -Joe Jury


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